KPDNHEP: Non-Medical Face Masks Must Be SIRIM Certified

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This ruling comes after face masks were gazetted under the Trade Descriptions (Certification and Marking) of Non-Medical Face Mask Order 2022 under the Trade Descriptions Act 2011 earlier this week.

The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP) said that the measure was taken to ensure non-medical manufacturers and importers of masks complied with the set safety standards.

In a statement, the ministry said that the MS SIRIM markings must be placed on the boxes or packages that are easily visible to consumers.

The MS SIRIM markings, KPDNHEP added, on the non-medical masks are to ensure that they have fulfilled the safety standards, are good quality, and are safe to be used.

SIRIM, or the Standard and Industrial Research Institute of Malaysia, is a wholly-owned company of the Malaysian Government under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

The ministry hopes that with the compliance of standards by manufacturers and importers, the issue of dumping non-medical masks of poor quality in the Malaysian market will be resolved.

Companies can be fined up to RM200,000.

For a second or subsequent offence, the ministry can slap a fine not exceeding RM500,000.

Meanwhile, individuals will be facing fines up to RM100,000 or three years in jail, or both.

"For a second or subsequent offence, a fine not exceeding RM250,000 or imprisonment no more than five years or both," the ministry statement said, as reported by New Straits Times.